


a moment you'll never remember

by kittybenzedrine



Series: but in time we all forgot and we all grew [1]
Category: Umbrella Academy
Genre: Amnesiac Character, Implied/Referenced Past Relationship(s), Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Other, Reminiscing, Smoking, Sneaking Out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-05-06
Packaged: 2018-03-29 04:46:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3882838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittybenzedrine/pseuds/kittybenzedrine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>and a night you'll never forget.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Post Dallas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a moment you'll never remember

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from lyrics in the song 'Hallelujah' by Panic! At The Disco

"Hey. Vanya."

A gentle, rhythmical, metallic tap assaulted her ears, faintly echoing in the empty room. She forced her eyes open, peering at the doorway. Her lights were off as well as the ones in the 'living room', leaving only a faint, lanky silhouette that made her heart race a bit. She had no idea who it was.

"Vee."

She squinted, lifting her head in an attempt to get a better look. She didn't know that voice very well, but she had an idea of who it was. The hair was long, but the voice was deep, so it couldn't have been Allison. It was just slightly too tall to be Diego, and the only other person that has long hair...

"... K... Klaus?"

"Awesome," came the low voice again, sounding a bit pleased. The tapping stopped when he pushed himself off the doorjamb, staggering a few steps before finding his balance. "You're awake. Wanna get some fresh air?"

She could hear the faint sounds of him folding her wheelchair up, trying to be quiet about it. It surprised her a little, because he never seemed like the quiet type. Vanya let her head flop back onto the pillow, nervousness bubbling up in her chest. Fresh air meant outside, and, well...

"Allison said I'm not allowed to leave the bunker..." She said uncertainly. She became even more anxious when Klaus leaned over her, standing still for a moment. She could feel his stare bore into her as the sounds of their breathing mingled with the mechanical hum that always accompanied the bunker. Allison had said he was unpredictable, and Vanya was quite a bit scared of what he would do.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," he finally murmured, reaching a hand under her shoulders to sit her up. With almost no effort, he picked her up. She drew in a sharp breath, her heart thrumming in her chest. Her head nestled into his shoulder while he shifted around, until he was holding her with one arm in the fireman's carry.

His long hair brushed her face as he carried her out of the room, levitating both of them, plus the chair, past the couch where Allison slept soundlessly. Vanya's fingers dug into the collar of his shirt, holding tightly.

She clung to him like that until she was securely her into her wheelchair in the grass. The fresh air filled her lungs, a stark contrast to the stale, recycled air in the bunker. It was wonderful. Debris aside, it was beautiful outside. Her nervousness ebbed away as he pushed her across the overgrown lawn, stopping once they had a clear view of the sky.

The moon shone brightly, no clouds obstructing the view. The cool air of the night filtered through her hospital gown, which was a great change from the warm, stuffy air inside.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Klaus pat himself down. She turned her head in time to see him pull out a pack of cigarettes, flipping the top open to pluck one out. A faint longing for one nudged into her mind, but she brushed the thought away. He pulled his lighter out of his pocket as well, lighting the stick and taking a long drag.

"Vanya," he started, before taking another drag as he stared out at nothing in particular. "Do you remember when we were six, and I broke my arm?"

"I don't remember much of anything," she said apologetically, studying his crooked, scarred face. He had looked far, far different a few weeks ago, but upon her asking what the hell had happened, he'd just muttered that 'Vietnam was complicated' and had left.

He nodded slowly, eyes still unfocused in the distance. "I fell out of the tree. That one, over there. The bone was sticking out, and everyone was panicking and freaking the fuck out, and I think Kraken puked. I know I did. It hurt like a bitch and I was definitely freaking out. You, however, just took a deep breath and ran back to the house. Got Pogo. Or Dad, I'm not sure, because they both showed up."

He shrugged, taking another puff from his cig. "It was pretty bad. But you were strong. Brave as fuck."

He finally looked at her, holding his hand out. When she realized he was offering her the cigarette, she shook her head 'no'. He nodded and took a deep inhale from it, letting the breeze blow the ash away.

"Remember the reading lessons that we'd have?"

"No," she murmured, looking away when he met her eyes.

"It's okay. Just seeing if any of it rings a bell." He shrugged, crossing his legs and hovering next to her. "I'm not expecting too much, don't worry. I was really bad at reading. Dad was getting pissed, because I was having trouble reading my Ouija board in battle. Reduced me to tears great many times. So one night, you came and woke me up after bedtime. Made me come with you.

"So you took me to the back corner of the library- our corner- and got a book, and every night for two months straight, we'd read children's books and short novels out loud, alternating between us. My reading improved drastically, and after that, every time your got sick and sentenced to bed, I'd come read to you at night. Did it 'til you moved out and everything."

Klaus looked down at his cigarette, which had burnt down to the filter. He flicked it away, lighting another one and smoking half in silence before noticing her shivering. The cooler air had been nice when she first got outside, but it had eventually chilled her.

Leaving his cig between his lips, he pulled his coat off, working to put it on her. "Forgot you were in that flimsy thing " he said, an apology lacing his tone, cigarette bobbing. She nodded in acceptance, letting him zip it all the way up to her neck.

He settled back next to her, eyes going unfocused and back into the distance. "Lemme know if it gets too cold for you, and I'll take you back inside," he said softly, crossing his pale, now bare arms. "Don't want you getting sick or anything... Damn. Shoulda brought a radio out here for background noise," he muttered to himself, before smoking more of his dwindling cigarette.

"... Are you high?" She asked cautiously, meeting his eyes when he turned his head to her.

"A little. Not as high as I usually am," he admitted, turning away once again. "Lemme guess, Allison's concerned with my drug use yet again?"

Vanya gnawed on the inside of her cheek before she nodded. "Yeah. She says you've done nothing but get worse in your addictions over the years since..." She trailed off.

Since Ben died.

She knew that much, at least. She'd remembered Ben one morning, and recalled that ever since she'd woken up, her favorite sibling hadn't come to visit her even once. So she'd asked Allison just where the hell they were. Allison had told her, with tight lips and distant eyes. About how all of their favorite sibling had died, and the Hargreeves family had parted ways until their father had died. It had broken her heart.

He nodded, knowing what she meant. "Yeah. Yeah, she's right. And they wanted me to get better, but then they got killed. Kinda counterproductive, really." He shrugged.

The overgrown lawn danced in the breeze as the two of them sat in silence. She contemplated asking him why they alled called Ben 'they' instead of 'he', but decided against it. She'd ask another time. After a few minutes of quiet, he rested his head against the armrest of her chair, letting out a soft sigh when she hesitantly began stroking his hair.

"So how much mobility do you have now?" He asked out of the blue, leaning his head against her hand. Her fingers worked through the soft stands as she debated on telling him.

"I can feel everything now, but I only have control of my arms and head, but I can move my legs and toes sometimes," she admitted, working a tangle out of his thick, redbrown hair. "Allison doesn't know I can move anything below the waist yet."

Vanya was pretty sure she heard him mutter "Kinky", but he nodded before she could say anything. "Understood. I'll keep my mouth shut," he confirmed.

The silence returned once again, the only inconsistent sound being Klaus lighting and smoking two more cigarettes. The wind had picked up some, swirling leaves and dust and ashes into the air. Around the time he was pulling out his fifth cigarette, she was about ready to go back inside.

Before she could speak, however, he beat her to it.

"Do you... Do you remember the library, when we were sixteen?"

She furrowed her brows, looking down at him. That could have been taken several ways. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Do I remember the library itself? Do I remember something that happened in there?"

" _Do_ you remember something happening in there?" He shot back, tilting his head to give her an inquisitive look. Just from the intensity of his look, she knew something important had happened.

She just wished she could remember it.

"No," she told him, watching the disappointment flash in his eyes. He nodded and turned his head away. He started on his fifth cig, and she waited for the story to accompany his question.

When it didn't come, she gently tapped his head. "Are you going to tell me the story that goes with it?"

Klaus sighed faintly, a stream of smoke escaping his mouth and nose. "You're so innocent, Vanya. You're so goddamn innocent. You used to think I was kind and innocent, too. Wrote it in your book. I read how you thought I was so kind and sweet, and than Hargreeves broke me in spirit and soul." He stared hard at the tree in the distance, hand shaking slightly as he brought his cigarette to his mouth.

"You were completely right. And I'm not anywhere near innocent now. But for the moment, you are. I don't want to ruin that for you," he told her before taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Tell me?" She asked softly, giving him the best pleading face she could when their eyes met. "Please, Klaus?"

He held her stare for a long moment, before averting his eyes. "Don't tell Allison," he said finally, shoulders slumping in defeat. "You and I have both denied it for years and years, and I refuse to let her know now."

He sighed heavily before snuffing out his cigarette, putting the half smoked stick back into the pack. "Way back in the day, right after you and Kraken had formed your band, the Prime8's, if you remember that, you two got in a big fight. I dunno if you can tell or if you remember, but he's had a crush on you since we were all 11. But anyways, he flipped shit and got in a big fight with you because he saw you kiss a guy or something, so you came to me.

"See, you, me, and Ben were all real close, but you wanted revenge and Ben didn't do revenge, so you and I went to the library to brainstorm. You took me to the back corner of the library, our official unofficial place, and we tried to brainstorm, we really did. We, uh, used our 'other' brains instead, though."

She furrowed her brows in confusion, looking to him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, and she swore she saw his white cheeks go a little darker. "Lemme put it this way; I was your first pregnancy scare."

She blanched, and he continued with bittersweet amusement in his voice. "Told you I'd pull out, but I was a sixteen year old boy that had very little self control." He shook his head. "You and I both actually cried from relief when you finally got your period."

... Oh.

He carried on, not seeming to realize that she was still listening. "Christ, I could qualify to live in Alabama. I've slept with both of my sisters and one of my siblings that had a dick." What?

"Ben?"

He nodded, and she could see the smile pull at his lips. "Yeah. Slept with them a great many times. Made love to them, more often than not."

She remembered that, though some parts she kinda wished she didn't. She had seen how in love the two of them had been. She remembered hearing the tapping of a headboard against the wall, seeing them hold hands under the table, the late night kisses when the two thought no one was watching.

She faintly remembered holding Klaus at the funeral, watching the empty casket with a heavy heart.

Vanya stroked his hair, taking in the information. She wondered if she'd ever been attracted to Klaus, but she doubted it. Doubted she'd ever been attracted to anyone, really.

"It's getting cold out here," he told her, standing up. "I'll tell you one more story, but we need to go in."

He went behind her and slowly began pushing her, his voice suddenly light and airy.

"I got all of my shit out of my storage building a few days ago, and was going through the boxes. Found Ben's photography, you know, their paintings and sketchbooks and such. See, when they kicked the bucket, you helped my pack up their room and put everything in storage. Well, I found some art in there that you and me had done as kids.

"They were so sentimental." The smile in his voice was evident. "There were all kinds of things that you and I had done. Fuckin' construction paper murals and everything. And I found the piece that you and me were most proud of.

"It's a big, blue ocean. I sketched a couple mermaids, some sharks and fish. You went in and did the shells and the plants and the sand. We spent... Shit, I think we spent an entire week working on it. It was like... Yeah, Spaceboy and Ben liked outer space, but you and me loved the ocean. That was our thing."

He popped the hatch open as quietly as he could, lifting her up and folding her chair back up with his powers. He levitated them to the bottom, silently taking her back to her room.

As delicately as he could, he worked her out of his jacket before laying her back down. Very diligently, he tucked her in, ensuring she was warm before he went on his merry way.

"Klaus?" She called softly. He stopped midway across the room, turning his head to her.

"Why did you come here tonight?"

He stared hard at her, like he had when he first got there. Eventually, he sighed, turning away and going to the door.

"No matter how much shit I talk about you... Kraken isn't the only... I... I miss you. I miss you a lot. After Ben, you were the only one I had, and then you left too. I don't hold it against you, though. G'night, Vanya," he said lowly, before disappearing from sight.

She watched the door for a long time, long after the hatch had faintly clanged shut. She stared hard, thinking about and processing his words until her eyes grew heavy, and she fell back asleep, thinking about the big blue piece of paper where they'd made their own ocean.

 

 

 

 

_"Draw another mermaid!"_

_"You're not the boss of me, Number Seven! Don't tell me what to do. We already have two mermaids ... But I think I will put another."_

_His shoulder bumped into hers as they fought for space, though they could have easily spread out._

_"Hand me the green?" She asked holding her hand out. The color flew in the air, firmly smacking into her palm. She giggled, putting the finishing touches on her kelp._

_"I found a marine biology book in the library, and it had some very eloquent anatomy drawings of sharks. It was cool," he told her, coloring the tail of her mermaid violet._

_"Yeah?" She sat back, eyeing the paper around the same time he did. They looked to each other, eyes blanked out by their masks. She gave him a grin._

_"Number Four... I think we're done!"_

_He nodded vigorously, holding up a pale hand. She smacked him a high-five, both giddy at their progress._

_"We did good!" He said happily, his gap toothed smile making her giggle._

_She gave him a smile and a nod in agreement. "We totally did good."_


End file.
